Cleaning Up Coal Ash

TVA Kingston Coal Ash Spill. Photo courtesy of Dot Griffith photography.

For well over a century, power plants across the country have burned coal to generate electricity. And for just as long, leftover coal ash has been dumped in open, unlined pits near the power plant, usually located on a river or lake. Every year, U.S. power plants produce 130 million tons of coal ash, which is the second largest waste stream in the country after municipal garbage.

Coal ash concentrates the toxic heavy metals found in coal, including arsenic, mercury, lead and selenium. Stored in unlined, wet impoundments, coal ash has been leaking these toxics into our groundwater and surface waters for years. Sometimes these impoundments collapse — with disastrous results.

Yet government regulations for coal ash management are either non-existent or sparse, and there is little enforcement of the regulations that do exist. In North Carolina, this lack of oversight — and the complicity between state regulators, elected officials and Duke Energy — came to a boiling point in February 2014 when one of Duke’s coal ash impoundments spilled 39 million tons of ash into the Dan River.

Citizens living near North Carolina’s 33 coal ash impoundments — all of which have leaked — have fought for transparency from Duke and the state, and for cleanup of the pollution that threatens their property value, health and family. Their actions forced this issue into the headlines of news networks and to the forefront of environmental justice conversations in the United States.

Appalachian Voices stood with these communities as we worked for years to compel Duke Energy and the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality to excavate coal ash from all the North Carolina sites and dispose of it either in lined, dry landfills, away from waterways, or by recycling it for concrete or other uses, provided it’s done in a manner that protects public health and the environment.

On Jan. 2, 2020, North Carolina announced a historic settlement with one of the state’s most powerful corporations and polluters, Duke Energy. The settlement requires Duke to move nearly 80 million tons of toxic coal ash at six of its power plants to properly lined landfills onsite or recycle it.

Learn information about specific coal ash impoundments in the South, including health threats and safety ratings on <a href="https://www.southeastcoalash.org/">Southeastcoalash.org</a>

Learn information about specific coal ash impoundments in the South, including health threats and safety ratings:

Additional Resources

Fact sheets, videos, links to academic research, and more

Sign Up to Act

Help us protect the health of our communities and waterways.

Latest News

Western North Carolina Groups Seek Solutions to Human-Bear Interactions

Several groups are collaborating on a study intended to reduce the number of human-bear conflicts in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Read More

Multi-State Healthcare Merger Draws Months-Long Protest

When a Kingsport, Tenn., hospital merged with Ballad Health, the monopoly healthcare provider drastically cut back the hospital’s services – sparking a months-long 24/7 protest.

Read More

Red River Gorge Destination Resort Concept Raises Questions

A proposed destination resort in the Red River Gorge area was met with questions and concerns from area residents and business owners.

Read More

Welcome, Gaye LaCasce!

Appalachian Voices would like to extend a warm welcome to the newest member of our Advancement Team, Gaye LaCasce!

Read More

Bill Would Redesignate New River Gorge as National Park

West Virginia congressional representatives introduced a bill in fall 2019 that would create a new national park in the state.

Read More

Groups Restore NC Linville River for Trout

Several North Carolina agencies and private environmental groups have teamed up to restore part of the Linville River in the Gill State Forest.

Read More